Dead-ending tool



March 6, 1956 H. H. HOWARD DEAD-ENDING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 27, 1951 ATTORNEYS March 6, 1956 H. H. HOWARD DEAD-ENDING TOOL 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1951 BY I f f ATTORNEXS 2,737,068 DEAD-ENDING TOOL Harry H. Howard, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Application November 27, 1951,-Serial No. 258,441

"'3 Claims. (Cl. 8-1--=-3) The present invention relates to a tool "for use in dead-ending hot primary wires, and is primarily adapted for use with dead-end clamps of a particular construction. The dead-ending of an energized primary wire, that is the securing of the free end of the Wire to a pole, has been a task which required the services of two or three linesmen. This is not only expensive, but the presence of several men upon a single pole is hazardous in the extreme, and no one man can work freely without intereference with the others.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a tool by means of which a dead-end clamp may be held in position to receive a primary wire, and the wire placed in the clamp by a single linesman on the pole.

More specifically, the invention aims to provide a tool which may have a dead-end clamp locked to it and form a support for the clamp during the attachment of the wire, and be releasable from the clamp when the wire is in place.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general view showing the manner of use of the tool in dead-ending a primary wire, the tool being shown locked to a dead-end clamp which is in position to receive the wire;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tool of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a vertical, transverse section through the tool taken in the plane of the locking member, and showing a dead-end clamp in position on the tool; and,

Figure 4 is a partial elevation of the tool with the dead-end clamp in section, showing the cooperative relationship between the two.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the tool comprises a body member 1, a connecting ring 2 carried by the body, and a locking element 3.

The body 1, of solid construction, has an upper portion 4 and a lower portion 5, the upper portion being of less thickness than the lower portion to form horizontal shoulders 6 at either side of the body. The shoulders 6 extend the full length of the body, and form ledges to prevent the dead-end clamp 7 from dropping downward when the tool is in place in the clamp. The lower portion of the body carries the ring 2 at itsxouter end, with the outer surface of the ring tangent to the plane of the shoulders 6. The upper portion of the body has its side adjacent the ring 2 notched, as at 8, for a purpose to be described. The notch is substantially mid-way between the top and bottom of the upper portion of the body and defines spaced upper and lower horizontally projecting sections 9 and 10, respectively. The upper projecting section 9 is bifurcated at its outer end forming the slot 11. The lower section 10 has a vertical bore 12 in alignment with the slot 11, which bore extends completely through the lower section 10 and the lower portion 5 United States Patent O on the body of the tool.

. 2,1 6 Patented Malr. e, 1956 'ofitlie bo dy. The slot-11 and the bore 12 permit engagement of the tool bymeans 'of a hot stick, so that the tool canbe handled when connected to a line through of which the element-may be rotated in the body. -At its upper end, the shank carries a keeper 17 which is of the same width as the upper portion 4 of the body, but has a length greater than its width so that when turned to aposition transverse-to the body its ends will extend beyond the sides of the body to lock the dead-end clamp The keeper may also be provided with an eye 18, so that the locking element may be actuated from above as well as below.

The drawing illustrates the particular type of dead-end clamp with which the tool is designed to be used. This clamp is in the form of a clevis 19, having arms 20 and a bridge member 21. The arms 20. are spaced apart a distance slightly greater thanthe width of the upper portion 4 of the body of the tool so that the tool may be easily slipped between them. A clevis pin 22 bridges the free end of the arms 20. The bridge member 21 is provided with a central opening 23 to receive a wire anchor 24. The wire anchor is in the form of a tube having a coil spring 25 within it to receive and grip the wire end in well-known manner. The inner end of the Wire anchor is peripherally flanged, and a rectangular retaining member 26'is fitted over the anchor to prevent the anchor from slipping out through the opening 23 in the clevis.

In dead-ending a live primary wire by use of the tool of the present invention, the wire and dead-end clamp are handled as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing. The dead-end clamp with the present tool locked to it is strung from a pole by means of the usual cable and insulator string 27. This assembly will hang downwardly from the pole at which the wire is to be dead-ended at the start of the operation. A wire-pulling clamp 28 is attached near the free end of the live primary wire 29 strung from the next pole, and by means of block and tackle 30 the wire is drawn up. The linesman on the pole 31 then connects the hook of the block into the ring 2 of the tool and the wire 29 and the dead-end clamp and string are drawn up into alignment by means of the block and tackle. By use of a hot stick the linesman then inserts the end of the primary wire into the end of the wire anchor 24 and the connection is completed. By means of the hot stick engaged in either the eye 16 or the eye 18 the locking element of the tool may be turned to release position, and the tool removed from the dead end clamp. The wire pulling clamp 28 can then be released and the block and tackle removed.

It will be noticed from Figure 4 of the drawing that when the tool is positioned and locked in the clamp, the peripheral flange on the wire anchor will seat in the notch 8 of the body of the tool, and when the clamp is pulled into place bythe block and tackle the ends of the upper and lower sections 9 and 10 of the upper portion of the body will bear against the retainer 26, forcing it against the bridge member of the clevis to hold the anchor member rigidly extended from the clevis. This materially assists in placing the end of the primary Wire into the end of the tubular anchor member.

While in the above one practical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that the invention may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. in a tool for supporting a dead-end clamp of that type having parallel spaced arms and an integral bridge member at one end with a tubular wire anchor extending perpendicularly through the bridge member, a body having an upper portion of rectilinear cross-section to fit between the arms of said clamp, said upper body portion being of a length equal to the height of said arms, and a lower portion of said body of greater cross-section than said upper portion whereby a shoulder is formed at the juncture of said upper and lower portions to abut the lower edges of said arm to limit the movement of said tool into said clamp, a rotatable shaft extending vertically through said upper and lower portions and having a locking lug fixed to its upper end to overlie the top edges of said arms when said shaft is turned tolock said tool to said clamp, a notch in the end wall of the upper portion of said body to receive snugly the end of said wire anchor to hold the anchor rigid with respect to said clamp.

2. In a tool for supporting a dead-end clamp as claimed in claim 1, means carried by said body to which a pulling line may be attached.

- 3. In a tool for supporting a deadend clamp while coupling a live primary wire, a body having an upper portion to fit within the said clamp and a lower portion of greater width than said upper portion forming with said upper portion horizontal shoulders to prevent downward movement of said clamp, said upper portion of said body being notched to receive a portion of said dead-end clamp to rigidity said clamp, and locking means comprising a vertical shank mounted for rotation in said body and a keeper carried by said shank above said body turnable with said shank to overlie the upper edges of said clamp.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,120 Parker Oct. 6, 1908 1,006,144 Stock Oct. 17, 1911 1,798,815 Shepard Mar. 31, 1931 Bodendieck July 7, 1942 

